mppguy

Hey all, Quick question, but do you think Stanford will follow up with emails if they can't reach you by the number you put down in the app? It's a long story, but I changed numbers since applying in Dec. Keeping hope alive here....

Ditto to what Max Power said. I started out with some papers that followed my area of research interest and followed the citations as well. Also, looking at the faculty pages at universities youre interested in, look at the professors' research focuses and start reading papers. It will give you things to talk about when you email them.

Yeah, check out Chicago and Minnesota, they post them in the admissions FAQ. Also the first sentence of my original post should be "I've heard..." Thankfully theres no typing section of the GRE...

I've head the "over 700" on both parts as well, but it seems pretty statistically inaccurate if you look at the T20 programs that post their average scores. For math, a 700Q has you a little below places like Michigan, Chicago and Minnesota, (for example), but a 700V has you way above. I think a better rubric when thinking about the newer scores is shoot for 90th+ percentile in verbal and 80th+ Q. That equates, roughly to about 159+V and 158+Q. To my knowledge, no school has officially posted mean scores in the new format, but I could be wrong....

Yeah, Michigan is the dream school for me. I want to do my research in an area where political science and public policy overlap, (research on political institutions). All three of the policy schools I listed above are strong in that interdisciplinary sense in that professors in the policy school do research that fits under the political science purview. Thanks so much everyone for the recommendations so far!

Hi everyone, So now that people have begun to receive their acceptance letters, I was hoping people could offer some input on my chances at various programs. I wanted to pursue a PhD in political science or in public policy and was planning on applying this fall. My research interests lie in state government/local politics and specifically on direct democracy and the influence of special interest groups, (I know, its a pretty nebulous term) Ideally, I was looking at a program with a strong American politics department with particular focus on formal theory and political economy. Trolling around the internet, I've made a list of the following departments. Public Policy: Michigan U Chicago University of Southern California Political Science: UCSD Stanford U Wisconsin Washington U Columbia Penn Minnesota UT Austin About me: I just graduated from a top ten policy school, (one of the ones mentioned above) with Master of Public Policy with a 3.8 GPA. Prior to that, I went to a mid-tier UC with a 3.5 GPA in Sociology. My GRE's the first round were decent, (640 Q, 670 V and 6 AW), but I plan on taking them again. Based on my last practice tests, I'll probably come out with a 162 V, 158 Q and who knows on AW. I can expect pretty good letters of recommendation from the faculty at my grad program. Also, I have about 6 years of work experience in both journalism and political consulting. So here's the part where I ask for people's wisdom in what my chances are at the programs mentioned above and any other places I may look at. Thanks so much for the help and when I go through the admissions cycle, I promise to help the next generation of nervous applicants!

Since nobody made one of these yet, I decided to take the initiative. If you're coming to USC in the fall and you're on Facebook, join here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=8 ... ref=search

Try reading magazines that use lofty prose, such as the New Yorker or the Economist. You'll come across a lot of words you didn't know and it's a great way to make studying vocab not so tedious. As for math, just keep in mind the types of problems that exist on the GRE and drill them constantly. Even if you're going over old problems, do them again to reinforce formulas and to make new inferences. That said, I'm off to go study for the LSAT which is so difficult, it makes the GRE look like a pie eating contest. Good luck!

Hah, as someone who currently works in print journalism, I feel the pain. Luckily, I'll be starting towards my MPP in a few months. That said, I'm hoping to make at least 55k a year coming out of school. Knowing folks that work in and around state government in California, I don't think that's entirely unreasonable. Of course, if the state goes belly up, I can always push a mop or something....

Im going to SPPD for my MPP. If anyone else if committed, I was trying to put together a Facebook group. PM me if you're down. Edit: I made the Facebook page. Go here, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=8 ... ref=search, if you're interested.

For anyone who'll be attending the SPPD in the fall, shoot me a PM. I'm going to try and get a Facebook group going.

THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING TO ATTEND: USC SPPD, MPP program OTHER SCHOOLS I CONSIDERED: UCLA, Harris, GWU, American WHY I CHOSE MY NEW SCHOOL: 1. UCLA, GW and American were no go's from the start. They didn't offer any money. USC and Chicago were offering full-rides. 2. I attended both USC's and Chicago's admitted students days. I was equally impressed by how both sold their programs. However, Chicago's seemed more focused on quantitative policy analysis and theory. The internship opportunities were far less available than USC. Also, despite the huge focus on quant work, it seemed the incoming students at both schools had the same background in stat and calc. If Chicago was really so superior, I'd expect not to find a roomful of confused faces when a professor mentioned "p-values." 3. USC had a deep focus in practical experience and internships. I think this would be invaluable in developing a network. One student said she did 5 internships during her first year, (summer included), though typically one can expect at least 3. 4. USC also had several research organizations that students take part in. Specifically, I was interested in the Bedrosian Center, the Unruh Center and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute. All three are lead by really prominent folks and are a big deal in California, which leads me to point 5.... 5. I've lived in California for the last 10 years. I've worked in Sacramento for the last four. I already have a bit of a network here in California. I think adding the USC credential could really benefit that. Plus, I don't really care about going to DC. Ideally, I'd like to stay in California, or at least on the West Coast. 6. Finally, (and most superficially), lots of Harris students end up working in Chicago. I'd never been before visiting them a few weeks ago. I still can't understand how a place could be so cold in April. Global warming must be a myth, because it wasn't showing up in Chicago. At USC, an equivalent amount of students end up in LA city government. Between the two places, LA is a no-brainer. Anyhow, that's my .02.

Hey all, thanks for the encouragement. I just wanted some reassurance that I was indeed not screwing up completely. I just sent my acceptance into USC today. For anyone that'll be going there, I'll see you in the fall!

I posted this a few weeks back, but I wanted to bump it again to get some input before I make the final call next week. I've been racking my brain deciding between USC and Harris for my MPP. Both gave me equal scholarships and both programs are ranked nearly equivalently. I went to both admitted students days and came out with what I think is a full picture of each. Here's my thinking on the matter and why I will most likely end up choosing USC: For one, USC advertised, (and students that I talked to in the halls backed up) the fact that USC is an internship goldmine. One girl said she did 5 internships in one year. This practical focus is extremely attractive to me since I want my degree to go towards applied policy either consulting or working in government, rather than strictly analyzing policy. Furthermore, I think the opportunity to actually get out of school would do wonders to enhance my network and ease the job search in two years. Secondly, ending up in DC isn't a priority for me. I live in California, have covered Sacramento as a journalist, and see enough going on in this state for a more than rewarding career. While Chicago has much better connections/reputation in DC, out on the west coast, USC is better networked. I'd like to stay in the western US in the future and I think USC better equips me for that. Third, while Chicago wins hands down when it come to quant courses and analysis, I could supplement the program at USC with additional stats and econ courses. While it wouldn't be at the level of Harris, I figure it'd be good enough to give me the "tool kit" (to steal the word of the day from Harris), that I'd need to be competent. And last but not least, when I visited LA, it was 78 degrees with a slight ocean breeze. When I visited Chicago the week after it was 36 degrees, raining, and the wind was blowing so hard it almost knocked me over. I know it's only two years, but jeez, that weather is terrible. So basically, I'm wondering what you all think of this reasoning? Does it make sense with what you all have heard? I know some of you all are in similar spots with similar schools, how's your decision making process going?

A bit off topic, but is anyone here planning on attending the On The MaPP event on Friday? I'll be coming in Thursday night and staying at the Ramada by campus. I just visited USC and am looking forward to seeing Harris.

Hey all, I just came back from the Dean's Merit event that was held last week. I was really impressed by the quality of the faculty and the other students that were there. I'm applying for the MPP program and am deciding between USC and Chicago, (I'm visiting there on Friday). My policy interests go two ways. If I went to USC, I'd focus of California state government, especially the nexus between state and local government when it comes to econ development. I'm also quite interested in the Tomas Rivera Institute which leads the field in Latino policy issues. For Chicago, I'd focus on international policy, especially in terms of security issues. The big sell of USC is the fantastic network it has in California, (where I live currently). From what students tell me, (not the ones on the tour, just regular folks I talked to in the halls), state agencies like the LAO office show up towards the spring and start handing out jobs. The alumni network in Sacramento is gigantic and many USC alum have huge positions in state gov. For federal jobs, I hear the situation is similar but I was focused more on the state and local angle while I was there. A guy I was talking with was interested in going to DC and he seemed really happy with the prospects, FWIW. The faculty at USC was not only incredibly knowledgeable but extremely accessible. I left the tour group in the afternoon and just started knocking on professors' doors. All sat and talked with me and discussed their research. The thing I like about USC is that they focus on practical experience. They lean towards putting students in internships rather than focusing on quant. The second year is devoted to a practicum which pairs you with a Cal agency and lets you work a practical policy problem. There still is a strong year one focus on quant, but its not as heavy as Chicago or Berkeley, for example. That's all I can come up with off the top of my head. Feel free to PM me for more info. Right now, I'm leaning pretty heavily towards USC, but after I get back from Chicago, I'll post something else. Accepted: GWU, American, UCLA, USC (full ride), Harris (full ride) Rejected: GSPP, HKS, MIT

So after the grueling few months of waiting for acceptance letters, I've narrowed down my decision to USC's SPPD and Chicago's Harris School. Both are offering me full tuition to go there. I'm leaning heavily towards the SPPD right now as it's more in line with my current objectives for landing a job in California state government. From what I see of the faculty, USC is second to none when it comes to getting a job in Sacramento, (where I currently live). However, Harris is nothing to turn one's nose up at. I'm wondering if anyone has heard about the merits of that school and any specializations or programs that the school really excels at. Not to sound like an ass, but I looked at their featured alumni list and couldn't find anyone doing anything that I'd consider as a career following school. For what it's worth, i'd be most interested in pursuing a specialization in criminal justice policy or immigration policy, either at the state or federal level. And also, I was accepted into UCLA, George Washington and American University, (no free money though). I got a rejection from HKS, GSPP and MIT city planning :cry: